ATHO Chapter 36

A Little Lonely

Posted by April Fox, ? Views, Released on September 28, 2025

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Chapter 36 – A Little Lonely

Chapter 4: Liberation from the Past, Part 5

Novel Title: 嫌われ者の俺はやり直しの世界で義弟達にごまをする (As the Hated One, I Flatter My Stepbrothers in a World Where I Get a Second Chance)

Author：赤牙 (Akakiba)

Art：古澤エノ (Furusawa Eno)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: シャルル (Charles -MC), リエン (Lien -ML1) & ジェイド (Jade -ML2)

*Please read at novels.space, the original site of translation. TQ*

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“Shh!”

“Idiot! That was for you two, not him!”

“Hey, that’s not fair!”

The younger boy protested, but there were no other passengers in the carriage. So it didn’t bother me.

“The others don’t matter to me. Feel free to chat. It’s livelier that way,” I said with a gentle smile.

“Really?”

“Come on…”

“Really, don’t worry about it,” I assured them, and the younger boys beamed while the eldest boy gave me an apologetic nod.

“Where are you all headed?” I asked.

“We’re heading home to the next town over,” the eldest replied.

“I see.”

“And you, big bro?” one of the younger boys asked, now sitting beside me.

“Me? I’m going… a little farther away.”

“All by yourself?”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t you get lonely?”

“Maybe… a little.”

The truth slipped out. The two younger boys reached out, gently holding my hands, looking up at me with concern.

“If you’re lonely, you shouldn’t push yourself too hard,” one of them said.

“That’s right! We’ll hold your hands so you won’t feel lonely!” the other added.

When the children held my hands tightly, it reminded me of Lien and Jade when we first met, and I felt a lump in my throat.

―――They held my hands like this when I broke down crying back then…

As the memory came back to me, tears started flowing naturally.

I shouldn’t cry…

The more I tried to stop, the more the tears wouldn’t stop. I ended up crying pathetically in front of the children.

“H-hey! What did you two do?!”

“Wah! W-we didn’t do anything!”

“Mister, please don’t cry…”

“Sorry… Crying in front of you like this… I’m no good, huh?”

I tried to force a smile to stop the tears. The youngest boy pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped my face.

“Our big brother says that when you feel like crying, you should let it all out!”

“Yeah, and after that, if you eat a lot and sleep a lot, all the sadness will go away!”

“…I see. Your big brother teaches you wonderful things.”

“Yep! Our big brother is the best!”

The younger boys turned to their big brother with gleaming faces and said, “Right?” Embarrassed, their older brother gave a shy smile.

As the carriage swayed along, the three of them shared many stories with me. It had been a long time since I had such an enjoyable time. It soothed my heart.

By the time we reached their destination, the neighboring town, the surroundings were painted in the warm hues of sunset.

“Thank you for looking after my little brothers today.”

“Mister, take care!”

“And don’t cry anymore, okay?”

“Ah, thank you. You three take care too.”

I waved to them, watching through the window as they walked hand in hand. Seeing their camaraderie, I couldn’t help but picture myself with Jade and Lien, and my vision blurred with tears again.

If only the three of us could spend time together like those brothers… No, that’s a wish I can’t allow myself to have.

I locked that longing away deep in my heart.

Even as my journey alone continued, I couldn’t shake the loneliness. I thought I’d be free from the burdens of being a ‘lord’ once I left the Wahlman estate, but the emptiness only grew.

I can’t simply erase my feelings for my family.

I wonder how everyone is doing.

Are they angry that I suddenly disappeared?

Or are they disappointed in me for abandoning my duties as the future lord?

Every night, as I looked up at the moon, I saw the faces of my parents, Jade, and Lien.

The moon that had been full and bright when I left home was now just a thin crescent. Staring at the waning moon, I let out a heavy sigh and crawled into bed.

When morning came, I opened a map to decide where to head next and began preparing for departure.

As I packed my things, there was a knock at the door.

Who could it be this early? Perhaps the innkeeper.

“Yes?” I answered, opening the door—only to find Jade and Lien standing there, even though they shouldn’t have been here.

“Nii-san, we finally found you.”

Their faces lit up as they approached. I instinctively stepped back, trying to keep some distance.

“How did you…-?”

“-We asked the people in the territory and followed your trail. Now, let’s go home. Father and Mother are waiting for your return.”

Jade slowly stepped closer, extending his hand with a smile.

But I shook my head, refusing his hand.

“I can’t. I can’t go back anymore.”

“Nii-san, why not?”

“If I stay, I’ll only bring unhappiness to you… to our family.”

“What are you talking about? If you’re not with us, Nii-san, we…!”

“That’s right, Nii-sama! We’re happy because you’re with us!”

“No… No, that’s not true. I… I shouldn’t be by your side.”

As they tried to convince me, I turned away, shaking my head.

In my first life, I was met with hatred-filled gazes, words, and actions from both of them. If that were to happen again in this life, I…

I didn’t know what to do anymore. I covered my face with my hands, unable to hold back my tears.

I can’t… I can’t do this anymore…

The overwhelming fears and doubts, the mistakes I’d made—all of it spilled out in my sobs.

“I… I made everyone miserable once. I drove our parents to their deaths… I pushed you two into hell…”

“Nii-sama? What… what are you saying?”

Lien looked confused at my confession. Unable to meet their eyes, I kept my head down as I continued.

“Ha… It’s absurd, isn’t it? But it’s true. I hated you two, even though you did nothing wrong. I drove you out of the mansion and hurt you…”

Tears streamed down, dripping onto the floor.

Piece by piece, I started to talk about my first life—a secret I had kept buried in my heart.

How I resented them after our father remarried.

How I lashed out at their mother, worsening her illness.

How, after our parents were murdered, I cast the two of them out, leaving them to fend for themselves.

The devastation I caused to the territory.

The matter with my uncle.

And the moment I reunited with Jade and Lien in front of my father’s grave.

Unable to bear it all on my own any longer, I confessed everything.

Neither of them said a word as I spoke.

―――They must think I’ve lost my mind…

When I finished, I hesitantly looked up to see them both wearing stunned expressions.

Even as our eyes met, they remained silent, simply staring at me.

Unable to endure their gazes, I looked down again.

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*Translator’s Note: Just a head’s up… This novel will end around Chapter 50+ something. Mature chapters will be towards the end, so you guys gotta wait for that. Sadly, no illustrations though. I do, however, have other 3P novels with illustrations. I just haven’t gotten down to translating those. I have too many on my list, actually. I bought too many light novels. Some are collecting dust on my bookshelf. 😅I gotta pick the ones most interesting to me first, like the story between a police officer and a man from mysterious underground organisation written by my favorite author! -K

*GLOSSARY: